Hobbies, Interests & Beliefs

Flame Nebula

My first picture from New Mexico….. Flame Nebula. Fifteen hundred light years away towards the constellation of Orion lies the nebula which, from its glow and dark dust lanes, appears, on the left, like a billowing fire. But fire, the rapid acquisition of oxygen, is not what makes this Flame glow. Rather the bright star Alnitak, the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion visible just to the right of the nebula, shines energetic light into the Flame that knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine. Imaged over 6 hours (LRGB, 21,5,5,5 of 10 min each @ 1650mm f/6.7, cropped about 25%).